Point guard Terrell Stoglin carried the Terps with 31 points but also got some help from his teammates for a change, especially down the stretch. Sean Mosley finished with 17 points and three assists and James Padgett recorded the first double-double of his career. Ashton Pankey played just one minute in the game, and head coach Mark Turgeon later explained that it wasn’t an injury-related decision.

Maryland now has just three games over the next three weeks as the players get some time off to worry about end-of-semester finals.

The win sets up a showdown with the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the ACC tournament.

Maryland quickly opened up a double-digit lead and later extended it to as much as 15 points before halftime.

The Terps got out of sync and a little sloppy in the second half, allowing the Wolfpack to make a few runs.

In the end, Maryland’s pressure defense and free throw shooting was able to seal the deal and keep their season alive.

It wasn’t the most convincing victory ever, but considering the Maryland Terrapins hadn’t won a game since Feb. 23, they’ll take it.

The Terrapins live to play again at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, getting 16 points and 13 rebounds from Jordan Williams in a 75-67 victory over North Carolina State in the opening round Thursday at Greensboro, N.C.

The Terrapins came into the tournament having dropped their final three games of the regular season, falling to North Carolina, Miami and Virginia. The skid cost the Terrapins any chance of finishing in the top four of the ACC standings and getting a first-round bye.

The seventh seed, Maryland led 68-53 late in the second half, then watched as the Wolfpack rallied to pull within 70-63 with one minute left. But Maryland held on from there to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Terrapins held N.C. State to just 33.8 percent shooting from the field, advancing to face Duke in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday. Maryland lost both meetings with Duke this season, and the Blue Devils are the defending conference and national champions.

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Terrell Stoglin came off the bench to score a career-high 25 points while Jordan Williams added 16.

Maryland’s 15 turnovers came back to bite them, as well as their inability to get a key basket or stop down the stretch.

Maryland had the lead with a few minutes to play, but Virginia Tech simply made more plays in critical moments.

The loss is another major blow to Maryland’s NCAA tournament hopes, which are now on life support.

It was the second time the teams have matched up against each other this year, and Maryland has rolled both times.

Gary Williams picked up his 664th career victory, which ties him with John Wooden for 22nd on the all-time list.

Center Jordan Williams lead the way with 27 points and 15 rebounds. It was his 20th double-double of the season.

The Terps get a break from the rigorous ACC schedule when they host Longwood later this week.

To be fair to Maryland, they were the victim of a number of questionable calls that made the game a blowout rather than a close contest.

Jordan Williams lead Maryland with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but he didn’t get much help from the guys around him.

The Terps were just 2-9 from three-point range, which isn’t going to get it done against the Blue Devils.

Maryland is now 4-4 on in the ACC and 14-8 overall, putting them in danger of missing the NCAA tournament.

Villanova went on a 19-0 run that saw Maryland’s lead and control of the game vanish over a period of several minutes.

Jordan Williams lead the way for Maryland with 25 points and 14 rebounds, but he didn’t get much help.

The Terps have showed the ability to play with anyone in the country, but they don’t have one signature win.

Maryland has a chance to pick up at least a noteable win when they host Virginia Tech at the Comcast Center.

A 4-1 start and a 3-2 finish launched the resurgence of the Maryland Terrapins in 2010.

The Terps finished 8-4, a six-win improvement from last season. Maryland now sets its sights on the Military Bowl and a matchup with East Carolina on Dec. 29 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround in 2010 for the Terps. Maryland started fast, winning five of its first seven. The Terps missed qualifying for the ACC championship game by one game. Head coach Ralph Friedgen won coach of the year, and quarterback Danny O’Brien won the ACC’s rookie-of-the-year award.

East Carolina (6-6) also features a big-time talent at quarterback in Dominique Davis. The junior passed for 3,699 yards, 36 touchdowns and 358 completions, all school records. Davis helped the Pirates finish seventh in the nation in passing offense and average 38.2 points per game.

But the Pirates gave up 43.4 points per contest and 478.8 yards, the worst in all of FBS.

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For whatever reason, the Terps have really struggled when they have played in the classic at the Verizon Center.

It certainly didn’t help Maryland that the stands were not even 1/4 full as many opted to watch the Ravens-Steelers game instead.

The Terps fell behind by as many as 15 points in the second half before rallying back and making it interesting.

Maryland then used its press and easy points in transition to climb back into the game, but they could never quite get over the hump.

Quarterback Danny O’ Brien passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns to mark a career day for the redshirt freshman.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith also had a monster day, catching 14 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns in a signature performance.

Maryland finished with minus nine yards rushing yet still found a way to beat one of the ACC’s top teams.

In fact, the victory over North Carolina State cost the Wolfpack the Atlantic Division title and a berth into the ACC championship game.